Jack Russell

British

noun

Also called: Jack Russell terrier. a small short-legged terrier having a white coat with tan, black, or lemon markings: there are rough- and smooth-haired varieties

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Jack Russell

named after John Russell (1795–1883), English clergyman who developed the breed

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Ben Gannon-Doak, who was taken off on a stretcher in the first half of this utterly incredible 4-2 victory over Denmark, is like a Jack Russell welcoming its owner home from a week abroad.

From BBC • Nov. 18, 2025

Singer and songwriter Jack Russell, who scored hard-rock hits in the 1980s with his band Great White and who survived a Rhode Island nightclub fire in 2003 that killed 100 people, has died.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 16, 2024

If you think of a Jack Russell and a Labrador, let's say that it needed a Jack Russell.

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2024

The breeding of beagles, Jack Russell terriers and miniature schnauzers could also be affected, as well as of dogs with short noses, like the English bulldog, French bulldog and pug.

From New York Times • Mar. 28, 2024

Ms. Taggart looked so young, it was sometimes hard to remember she had a child of her own—a little boy I'd seen running around campus like a Jack Russell terrier.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023